PCJ – Chapter 511 Great Upheaval

Zhang Jiaohua thought to himself that it would be great if he could grow some other crops instead. As soon as the thought arose, the Dao Cultivation Diagram underwent a massive transformation. Rice, corn, plums, pears, persimmons, Chinese bayberries, tea trees—everything that flashed through Zhang Jiaohua’s mind—suddenly sprouted from the surrounding empty land like bamboo shoots after rain.

Zhang Jiaohua was stunned by the changes in the Dao Cultivation Diagram and plopped down on the ground. One single thought of his had caused such a tremendous transformation in the diagram.

Leopard, Fat Cat, and Chubby Monkey, however, didn’t seem surprised at all. Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head and noticed that even the ground was soft—like sitting on a sofa. When he stood up, not a speck of dust had stuck to his pants.

He sat there blankly for who knows how long. At some point, a pear the size of a fist dropped down and hit him on the head. Only then did Zhang Jiaohua notice that the pear tree next to him had already grown into a towering tree, and its fruit had ripened.

“That fast?” Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head. Looking at the ripe pear on the ground, he instinctively reached out to pick it up. But as soon as his hand touched it, the pear slowly melted into the soil.

“Huh?” Zhang Jiaohua stared in shock as the pear disappeared.

“Jiaohua, run!” Leopard shouted.

Zhang Jiaohua was still confused.

“Watch your head!” Fat Cat quickly warned.

Zhang Jiaohua looked up and saw pears raining down from the tree above. He took off running, but not before catching the first falling pear on instinct.

When he looked back, he saw the pears melt into the soil shortly after hitting the ground, as if nothing had happened at all.

Zhang Jiaohua stood there, stunned. Wasn’t this just like the ginseng fruit from Journey to the West? It falls when it meets metal, withers when it touches wood, dissolves when exposed to water, chars when exposed to fire, and disappears into soil.

He looked at the pear in his hand—it was round and white. If it weren’t for the fact that it didn’t look human-shaped, he would have thought it really was a ginseng fruit.

He brought the pear to his mouth and took a bite. A refreshing sweetness surged into his chest and lungs. The rich juice carried a long-lasting fruity fragrance that lingered in his mouth and nose.

Leopard and Fat Cat were carnivores, so no matter how delicious the fruit was, it held no appeal for them. But Chubby Monkey was a fruit lover. The moment Zhang Jiaohua bit into the fruit, the monkey could almost taste its sweetness. Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth—like a little kid watching someone eat candy.

Seeing the monkey’s expression, Zhang Jiaohua immediately understood. He handed the half-eaten pear to it. Chubby Monkey grinned, laughed joyfully, and began gobbling it down.

Suddenly, Zhang Jiaohua remembered—when the chestnuts matured last time, hours had passed outside. Now that the pears had ripened, how much time had passed in the real world? He quickly exited the Dao Cultivation Diagram.

Sure enough, it was already broad daylight outside. Fatty had already left for the restaurant.

Zhang Jiaohua looked at his watch. It was already past 8 a.m.

“Crap! I’m completely late!” He dashed toward No. 4 High School. The school gate had long been shut, so he had to sneak over the wall and rush toward his classroom.

Mr. Wei Yunlong was furious today. In all his years as a homeroom teacher at No. 4 High School, this was the first time a student had missed an entire class period—possibly even skipping class without reason. And it was the student with the most promise.

This was the student who had entered No. 4 High School as the top scorer in the entire city, the one most likely to become the top scorer in the college entrance exam three years later.

“Does anyone know why Zhang Jiaohua didn’t come to school today?” Wei Yunlong asked.

“Xu Xiaoting and Zhou Qimu were classmates with Zhang Jiaohua in middle school. They probably know,” said Zheng Wendong, standing up.

Zhou Qimu immediately stood up. “We’re not really that close to Zhang Jiaohua. He only transferred into our class in the third year of junior high. He never followed the teacher’s pace in class, which really annoyed our old teachers.”

Xu Xiaoting quickly stood up, too. “Zhou Qimu, it’s rude to talk behind someone’s back. Zhang Jiaohua had taken a two-year break from school before joining our class. But instead of repeating grades, he skipped one. He had hardly studied any junior high content before. He had to catch up on everything, so of course his pace was different. I remember when the physics teacher discovered this, Zhang Jiaohua promised that before the final exam, he’d rank among the top students. And in just twenty days, he made that happen. I think Zhang Jiaohua has his own way of learning. If he’s late today, there must be a reason.”

After hearing what Xu Xiaoting said, not only did the class not blame Zhang Jiaohua for being late, they became even more curious about him. After all, he had entered No. 4 High School with the highest score in the entire city. What no one knew was that Zhang Jiaohua had learned the entire junior high school curriculum in less than fifty days.

Even the homeroom teacher, Wei Yunlong, was hearing this for the first time and couldn’t help but be moved. This kind of genius—he had never encountered one in his life.

Wei Yunlong wasn’t sure how to deal with this undisciplined student, so he just waved his hand and said, “Let’s begin class. We’ll deal with Zhang Jiaohua when he arrives and clarify the situation then.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua peeked into the classroom from outside. Seeing that Wei Yunlong was in the middle of a lecture, he was about to hide, but to his surprise, Wei Yunlong spotted him instantly.

“Zhang Jiaohua!” Wei Yunlong threw the chalk in his hand and charged out of the classroom.

Zhang Jiaohua had no choice but to stop and greeted him awkwardly, “Good morning, Mr. Wei.”

To his surprise, Wei Yunlong didn’t scold him.

“You’re here. Why haven’t you come into class yet?” he asked calmly.

Zhang Jiaohua was taken aback, his eyes wide in surprise.

“What are you standing there for?” Wei Yunlong glanced around, worried that a school leader might see.

Feeling confused, Zhang Jiaohua followed him back into the classroom.

“Zhang Jiaohua, if you ever face any difficulties, be sure to tell your teacher or classmates. We’ll always find a way to help you,” Wei Yunlong said with concern.

Zhang Jiaohua felt quite embarrassed—he had simply lost track of time while inside the Dao Cultivation Diagram.

What puzzled him even more was that, despite not sleeping all night, he didn’t feel tired at all.

“Understood. Thank you, Mr. Wei,” Zhang Jiaohua said sincerely. He was genuinely moved. The teacher had thought of his well-being first, rather than scolding him for being late.

“Since we’re on the subject,” Wei Yunlong turned to address the whole class, “I want to remind everyone—this class is a collective. What does that mean? It means we’re like a family. Each student should treat their classmates like siblings. We should understand and support each other. Only then can our class become more united and progressive. I don’t want to hear students talking behind each other’s backs. If there’s something to say, why not say it openly, like siblings do?”

He was clearly referring to Zhou Qimu’s earlier comments about Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhou Qimu instantly felt bitter. Was there no justice left in the world? The one who’s late gets praised, and the one who tells the truth gets scolded?

After class, Xu Xiaoting immediately wanted to ask Zhang Jiaohua if something had happened. But Wei Yunlong was just as curious. Instead of leaving, he came over and sat beside Zhang Jiaohua.

“Zhang Jiaohua, all this time, I haven’t properly understood your situation. That’s my fault. If you’ve had any difficulties in your studies or life, I didn’t know about them. That’s on me. But from today on, I promise to improve. If you run into any trouble, just tell me. If I can help, I will. If I can’t, I’ll ask your classmates to help too. And if we still can’t solve it, I’ll report it to the school. We’ll definitely figure something out.”

He genuinely didn’t want to see such a promising student fall through the cracks.

Zhang Jiaohua replied sheepishly,
“Mr. Wei, there’s really nothing wrong. I just… overslept this morning. When I woke up, it was already past eight. I’ll be sure to wake up on time from now on.”

“What about your parents? They didn’t wake you?” Wei Yunlong asked, surprised that the reason for being late was so simple.

“My parents are still back in our hometown. I live alone in Beijing, renting a place in Gulu Bahu Hutong,” Zhang Jiaohua explained truthfully.

“Why don’t you stay in the school dorms? The conditions are decent, and several students from our class live there. I can talk to the school and try to get your fees waived. Would that work?”

“No need, really,” Zhang Jiaohua replied. “My family’s from the countryside, but we’re doing okay. I just prefer living outside—it gives me more freedom. My way of studying is a bit different from the others.” He had to come up with a reasonable excuse.

Wei Yunlong nodded in understanding. Geniuses should be a little different. If they weren’t, what kind of genius would they be?

“That’s true. Actually, being late once or twice isn’t a big deal. It’s just that our school’s discipline is pretty strict. I’ll apply to the school leadership to make an exception for you—so that if you ever are late again, you won’t have to climb over the wall.” He obviously knew that’s exactly what Zhang Jiaohua had done.

Zhang Jiaohua blushed with embarrassment—caught red-handed like a thief.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qimu, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, was furious. This was infuriating! Zhang Jiaohua was late and got treated with compassion. He, on the other hand, was just being honest and got reprimanded.

“It’s totally normal to be late once or twice—don’t stress about it,” Wei Yunlong reassured Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head. “Thank you, Mr. Wei.” Honestly, he wasn’t even stressed—until Wei Yunlong made such a big deal out of it!